Some vehicle steering handles are of a type having a hub mounted to a steering shaft provided with a pair of left and right grips to be gripped by a driver for steering. An art of this kind in steering handles is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI-11-59434 entitled “Vehicle Steering handle”.
Steering torque of this steering handle is transmitted via a steering shaft, a steering angle controllable device and a rack-and-pinion mechanism, to a rack shaft, thereby to steer steered wheels. The steering angle controllable device varies the ratio of the steered angle of the steered wheels to the steering angle of the steering handle. The steering handle is provided, at a boss (corresponding to a hub) mounted to the steering shaft, with a pair of left and right grips to be gripped by a driver for steering.
The wheel diameter of the steering handle depends on the type of vehicle. Steering handles of smaller wheel diameters which allow quick steering are widely used in automobiles such as sports cars. Steering handles of larger wheel diameters which provide a slow steering feeling are widely used in heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses. This indicates the necessity of preparing various kinds of steering handles in accordance with the types of vehicles. Preparing various kinds of steering handles leads to difficulty in management, which leaves room for improvement.
Further, in recent years, there have been demands that wheel diameters be changed to meet drivers' preferences. For example, there have been demands for individual wheel diameters in accordance with the body types of drivers or demands that a steering feeling be changed in accordance with vehicle speed.
In this context, a steering handle which can be used in various types of vehicles and can be changed in diameter to suit the preferences of drivers is desired.